


Tons of Manganese

by Drowninginworkbutstill



Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Good Morning World Zine, M/M, Oneshot, Slice of Life, implied shipping, lowkey flirting, sengen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:21:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25766629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drowninginworkbutstill/pseuds/Drowninginworkbutstill
Summary: “I want to drink cola.”Senku blinked, focusing back onto reality. Gen’s lips quirked into a smile as Senku processed those words and what exactly they meant.
Relationships: Asagiri Gen & Ishigami Senkuu, Asagiri Gen/Ishigami Senkuu
Comments: 5
Kudos: 174
Collections: sugamint's zine fics





	Tons of Manganese

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Dr. Stone zine, Good Morning World! My lovely friend [Jiin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/3stir/pseuds/3stir) helped to beta and Mod Noel also gave me great feedback to improve the fic. I hope you enjoy!

“You tie it like this,” Gen explained patiently to the children surrounding him. His deft fingers twined the strong vine around a thin twig under their excited and watchful eyes. The vine held the leaves fanning across the top of the twig in place. It resembled a tiny propeller.  
  
“Then, you spin it with your hands.”  
  
The makeshift propeller launched into the air, spinning in the gentle wind. Innocent eyes followed the movement. He found the way they lapped up all his words and tricks to be quite adorable. It reminded Gen of his charity gigs at children’s hospitals and magic shows at birthday events.  
  
“It’s like a dragonfly!” Suika beamed, enamoured by the way it fluttered in the air.  
  
The children dashed off, all eager to make their own. Suika chased the one Gen released, stomping through wild grass. Gen watched them with a satisfied smile. They were good kids, great at listening to him and Senku. As the kingdom of science required manual labour and intensive collaboration, the children's aid proved invaluable to meeting their deadlines. They had to prepare for winter and an eventual clash with Tsukasa’s army.  
  
Long before the scientist stepped closer and sat down next to him, Gen knew Senku had been watching him.  
  
“I know most of my knowledge is useless,” Gen said wryly as he folded yet another propeller. With a twist of his fingers, it took flight into the air, carried off by the wind.  
  
Senku shook his head in disagreement.  
  
“No knowledge is useless. All information has the potential to be part of a much bigger, more intricate system. It’s just like how a complex invention consists of multiple, smaller scientific formulas and reactions. You could very well invent aeroplanes starting with what you just made. Isaac Newton came up with the law of universal gravitation from a single apple falling on his head.”  
  
Gen hummed in acknowledgement, a small smile on his lips. Being a mentalist was a much more important job in the stone world than one would expect. Senku never failed to fully utilize the magician's talents, something Gen greatly appreciated.  
  
“You’re such a nerd, Senku-chan,” Gen said lightly. Senku snorted in reply. It definitely wasn’t the first time he had been called that.  
  
They looked fondly at the village kids chasing the little spinning toy. No matter how busy they were, breaks were necessary, especially for the little ones who should be enjoying their childhood. Gen closed his eyes, feeling the cool spring breeze ruffle his clothes and hair, delighting in the jubilant sound of children’s laughter.  
  
His enjoyment was cut short when Senku nagged at him like he always did.  
  
“Your one-hour lunch break is up. I told you at the exact second.”  
  
“You’re so stingy, Senku-chan.”  
  
“Really? I’m letting you overrun on the time right now. Maybe I should make you work overtime for each second you spend here?  
  
“Boo, you don’t even pay me,” Gen whined with a pout on his face.  
  
It was a small mercy, at least, that Senku didn’t assign him to do the grunt work. He didn’t have the power of brute force in his slender arms. The precise, repetitive nature of his work, such as making manganese balls, did get boring over time, however. Especially when there were 800 of them to make. At least he managed to trick, well, encourage the village kids to help when he made up the manganese song. Unfortunately, it meant he had to sing that song together with them non-stop.  
  
“Currency doesn’t quite work in the stone world,” Senku said, eyes alight with amusement. “However, I could make some if it’ll keep you working.”  
  
A thoughtful look glazed over Senku’s eyes. He was no doubt thinking of how to mass manufacture coins and dollar bills and then circulate it. Gen sighed. Senku was _such_ a workaholic, he would even spend his break time thinking and constructing. Before Senku could _really_ start getting into establishing currency in the stone world, Gen piped up,   
  
“I want to drink cola.”  
  
Senku blinked, focusing back onto reality. Gen’s lips quirked into a smile as Senku processed those words and what exactly they meant.  
  
A concession. A trade. Days of boring, repetitive labour, for cola.  
  
Senku laughed. He shook his head in disbelief. With Gen, it always came back to cola.  
  
“If something like cola can get you to work for me, mentalist, it’s worth a lot more than it actually is by itself.”   
  
“You underestimate how great cola is in a world like this, Senku-chan!” Gen said dramatically, using his hands to make elaborate gestures. “A man like me, who’s addicted to the modern world's conveniences and tastes is struggling to live in this stone-age. Greater men than I would sell their souls to get a taste of what they used to love. Like nicotine and alcohol, hmm?”  
  
A man like Senku would never use nicotine addiction to force people to submit. Gen knew that very well. He would use things like ramen and cotton candy instead.  
  
Senku flicked Gen on the forehead, causing the mentalist to yelp from the slight pain.  
  
“I don’t need nicotine to have you working, you’re plenty addicted to Cola. Also, you’re exactly ten minutes and twenty-seven seconds late. Stop trying to buy time, I’m onto you.”  
  
“Geez, I’m going, I’m going.”  
  
He walked away at a slow pace. He wasn’t eager to get back to mind-numbing tasks. His hands were now covered with scratches and calluses due to the nature of the work he was unused to. Back in the modern world, he never needed to make things from scratch.  
  
Gen missed industries and machinery that would do the brunt of grunt work. Things were so much easier back then compared to now. Modern life had been exceedingly convenient. With a few clicks, you could have anything you ever wanted delivered to your doorstep. Now, you had to build everything you wanted, starting from the smallest of bolts and screws.  
  
Then again, it wasn’t so bad. The stars were bright across the night sky, shining like the purest of diamonds. It was a sight that would be impossible to find among the pollution and city lights of an industrialized city like Tokyo. People were happy, always laughing and joking with one another. Gen didn’t have to return to a cold, empty apartment after work. The people here were warm and friendly, and he fit in easily as though he had lived here for years.   
  
His eyes widened in surprise when he lifted the veil at the entrance of the work hut.  
  
A cold bottle of cola was right next to Gen's work basket. That Senku. Had he placed it there before he went to find Gen? How had he known that Gen would be craving for one? Sometimes Gen felt like Senku was the mentalist instead.  
  
Gen laughed, popped the cola open and chugged it all at once. God, that felt great. He wiped his lips and sat down in front of the basket, brushing off his thighs. Time for work.  
  
“Zinc for seaweed. Manganese rice balls. Coal in the middle. Look at that, a zinc-carbon battery!”


End file.
